NCJ Number
146849
Journal
Women and Guns Dated: (March 1994) Pages: 18-20,46-47
Date Published
1994
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article presents the current state of the art in the search for an effective yet nonlethal method of personal defense. The article features information about oleoresin capsicum, also known as pepper spray.
Abstract
Chemical weapons have been in use since at least 42 B.C., when the Greeks used pitch and sulfur; mustard gas was used in World War I. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the second generation of Aerosol Subject Restraints (ASR) came into being--Mace, burst grenades, and the first of the hand held units. The three primary substances used in sprays are Mace, "super tear gas," and oleoresin capsicum (OC). The latter, OC, is an oily resin (extract of peppers), not a gas. It works where the others sometimes do not, and its effect is almost immediate: eyelids shut or spasm, blood vessels dilate, bronchial tubes constrict, mucous membranes secrete, and blood rushes to the upper body. The article (1) describes what happens to someone sprayed with OC; (2) compares dispersion methods; (3) evaluates brands of OC; and (4) discusses carriers and propellants, sizes and carry modes. Although training with aerosols is not as necessary as with firearms, the author recommends taking a course from a certified instructor. There are sections concerning how and when to use an ASR, the lethality of OC, factors that affect an assailant's response to chemical weapons, and legalities of OC use.